Well this is an unexpected stance on the matter, hopefully his words hold some weight regarding permanent removal..

With the country still reeling and emotionally spent following the attacks in Charlottesville last week, one of the biggest issues to arise from the incident revolves around Confederate statues. Given the extremely racist history tied to Confederate statues, many feel that they should be permanently removed and now the great-great grandson of Confederate icon Robert E. Lee apparently agrees.

"Maybe it’s appropriate to have them in museums or to put them in some sort of historical context in that regard" https://t.co/65o0bTA7XH

Robert E. Lee V is the latest advocate for the permanent removal of Confederate statues, after he voiced his opinion recently while discussing the events in Charlottesville. According to a report by the New York Daily News, the 54-year-old great-great grandson of the prominent Confederate figure stated that it would “be fine if lawmakers chose to take those statues down.”

Lee went on to add that “maybe it’s appropriate to have them in museums or to put them in some sort of historical context in that regard,” Lee, an athletic director at a Virginia school told the media in an official statement. So far Lee’s statements have drawn mixed reactions, as some feel he is betraying his family legacy while others appreciate his opinion on how hurtful the Confederate monuments are for many Americans.

Just after the attacks in Charlottesville, the Lee family released a statement on the matter condemning the violence that occurred:

“At the end of the Civil War, he implored the nation to come together to heal our wounds and to move forward to become a more unified nation,” the statement said. “He never would have tolerated the hateful words and violent actions of white supremacists, the KKK, or neo-Nazis.”

Lee himself added to his family’s statement when referencing the violence that took the life of Heather Heyer, saying “Those sorts of acts on Saturday, that’s just not to be tolerated,” Lee said. “We feel strongly that Gen. Lee would never ever stand for that sort of violence.”